This past weekend I slept. And slept. And slept some more. I’ve discovered that as much as I’m a night owl, I really do need my sleep to function because otherwise I start craving bowls of Cheerios and peanut butter straight from the jar. No bueno for my figure.
Besides sleeping, I’ve been over thinking things. Mostly like where my life is going and what I’m doing with it. To distract myself, I made pancakes with salted dark chocolate, chugged coffee, and watched a movie starring Zac Efron.
From there I went into major creative mode which translated into a brain dump of culinary madness in my kitchen. Mostly things that remind me of fall. I’m SO ready to get cozy in my sweats, eat soup, and cuddle up on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa and a ridiculous amount of whipped cream. I’ve been giving sneak peeks of upcoming posts via Instagram, so be sure to check it out!
Remember when I told you about that handsome guy I met on vacation? Well… he’s coming to visit me. I told you the weirdest things happen to me. Or maybe the most romantic things happen to me?
Since I’ve already baked him my famous cookies, I figure that I might as well fill him up with my other favorite carb: pasta! Cheesy, comforting pasta covered in a mind-blowing homemade tomato sauce. I think he’s going to love it. And I think you will, too!
First begin with a pound of Just BARE Chicken Breast Fillets.
I love Just Bare Chicken because there aren’t any added hormones or antibiotics used – ever! And, every package features a unique traceability code that tells you the location of the family farmers who raised your chicken. You can learn more by heading to their website or Facebook page.
The chicken is massaged with a bit of olive oil, garlic, fresh basil and parsley, and salt and pepper.
Once done baking, chop the chicken into bite-sized cubes and set aside for later.
While the chicken is baking, you can prepare the homemade tomato basil sauce. It’s actually quite easy! Just simmer tomatoes down, add herbs and spices, and then puree!
I like to eat tomato sauce out of the jar with a spoon, so homemade sauce is like heaven to me. The flavor is so much better.
Next you’ll add the uncooked pasta to the sauce plus some extra water for the noodles to absorb. Cover and cook until noodles are al dente.
I use rotini because I love the way the sauce gets in between each noodles for optimal flavor, but really any noodle should work. Macaroni would be great for kids!
Then stir in mozzarella and parmesan cheeses and also the cubed chicken.
Add the creamy, irresistible Burrata cheese on top. Nothing’s better than Burrata!
Put the skillet under the broiler for a few minutes.
Get ready for awesomeness.
Garnish with a few basil leaves and parmesan cheese for that pop of pretty color.
Serve immediately. Dig in. Devour!
I cannot wait to make this cheesy deliciousness over and over again!
Other Dinner recipes to try:
Skillet Chicken with Spicy Pepperoni Sauce
Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchilada Skillet
Garlic Parmesan Pasta with Chicken & Roasted Bell Peppers
Stovetop Southwest Tuna Mac and Cheese
20 Minute Garlic Parmesan Rigatoni with Chicken Sausage & Broccoli
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Skillet Cheesy Chicken Rotini with Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce + Burrata
Ingredients
- FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 1 pound Just BARE Chicken Breasts
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- FOR THE SAUCE:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped basil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- black pepper
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano
- 1 1/2 cups water
- FOR THE PASTA:
- 8 oz whole wheat Rotini
- 2/3 cup reduced fat (or skim) mozzarella
- 4 oz buratta, chopped
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
- 6 basil leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Bake chicken: Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken breasts in medium bowl and add olive oil, salt, garlic, basil, and parsley; massage chicken with herbs. Place on baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink. Allow chicken to cook for a few minutes then transfer to cutting board and chop chicken into small cubes; set aside.
- To make the sauce: Heat olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic; cook until fragrant and golden. Add in tomatoes, parsley, basil, oregano, garlic salt, and some fresh black pepper. Cook over medium heat until tomatoes break down and become a little like sauce; about 5-8 minutes. Transfer to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Taste sauce and add more herbs or salt if necessary.
- Return the sauce to the pan, add 1 1/4 cups of water, and stir in uncooked pasta. Bring back to a boil, cover, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook pasta for 8-10 minutes or until al dente.
- Once pasta is al dente, reduce heat to low and stir in mozzarella and parmesan cheeses and chopped chicken. Place burrata on top of pasta and place under broiler until burrata melts and is slightly golden. Garnish with basil leaves and extra parmesan, if desired. Serves 4-6.
Recipe Notes
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I was compensated to create a recipe by Just BARE® Chicken. However, opinions are my own. Thanks for continuing to support Ambitious Kitchen!
I made this tonight and it was fantastic as every recipe of yours I have tried so far has been, and I have tried MANY! I do have to say that I think the times must be off Monique. There is no way in my world that the entire process for this recipe could take only 35 minutes!!! I will def make it again, but I will make sure to allot myself more time!! 😊☮️
Hi! I’m so happy it was delicious. And thanks for the feedback on the time!
I would definitely recommend making this if you have high quality, fresh tomatoes. Mine weren’t very sweet and ripe, so the sauce didn’t turn out as good as I expected. I’m still giving five stars though because this would definitely be good with good ingredients. I also really loved the way the chicken was baked with seasoning before adding it to the sauce!
Recipe was fun and pretty easy to make! Definitely took me longer than 10 min to prep though, but I’m a slow chopper. Burrata was very fun and gooey to work with! Would definitely make this again!
Looks soooo good! I want to try this, but not with fresh tomatoes. Have you ever made it with canned whole or diced? If so, how many cans? Thanks if you can reply.
So, if any one wants to know, I used 2 28oz cans of whole peeled tomatoes in place of the fresh. Worked fine.
Hi Heidi! Yes, I would suggest 2 28oz cans. Glad it worked out fine!
I made this at the weekend and it was delicious 🙂
I’m pretty new at cast iron but …I thought you were supposed to avoid cooking high acid foods (like tomatoes) in cast iron? Am I wrong? (Oh please let me be wrong!)
My skillet doesnt have a lid, do you think the pasta will cook okay without it?
You had me at burrata!
I can’t handle these photos. GORGEOUS, lady!
Delicious and very saucy! A bit long to make, but worth the work! Real comfort food!
Made this tonight, with Cherry tomatoes, garlic and basil from our garden. My picky girls absolutely loved it!
thanks for the amazing recipes.
This has to be the tastiest pasta dish I’ve ever seen! So much cheesy goodness, I think I’m in love… I’m dying to try this, thanks for the inspiration!
And have a lovely weekend 😀
INCREDIBLE!
I wish I wasn’t already hungry for lunch and looking at this delicious pasta! I love all of the ingredients and flavors that you incorporated into this dish!
Monique, have I mentioned that I’m like basically in love with you? You have my upmost respect hands down. I just started dating a boy that gives me too many butterflies to eat properly, but I think this might be just the trick! LOVE LOVE your recipes, thanks for making so many vegan and vegetarian things 🙂 “You don’t have to know where you’re going to be headed in the right direction” Stick to your passions, always.
I would love to make this, but I don’t have a food processor. Can I skip that step and just have a chunkier sauce?
SO MUCH cheesy goodness! This makes me so excited for months and months of cozy comfort food. Starting with this dish 🙂
THIS….grown-up Mac & Cheese…for discerning palates….So making this for the tribe…The burrata sends this skyward….Thanks for the share…
The recipe seems so tasty! I love cheese too, so I may just have to try it out! 🙂
So perfect and gooey!! Love it.
Sounds yummy! Hope you and your visitor have a wonderful dinner. = ) Thanks for the yummy recipes.
Oh man, this looks SO good! Teach me your creamy burrata pasta ways!
my son sent me your recipe for the nutella chocolate chip cookies, what a fantastic recipe and because of that recipe I am now a loyal and thankful and loyal email buddy of yours.
now I
I may have to try a vegetarian version of this sans chicken. Ooo that cheese!
just curious how much tomato sauce this recipe makes? – although I would make the tomato sauce fresh whenever possible, in a pinch or wintertime, a jarred brand would be an easy swap. Thanks and I can’t wait to try it out!
I would go with about 2 or 3 large jars. 🙂 Depending on how saucy you like it!
This dish sounds so wonderful! My family would love it!
I think I could swim in burrata… This looks so yummy! Good luck on all your upcoming exciting things!